Himes puts the squeeze on fellow Democrats

Charles J. Lewis

Published 11:37 pm, Sunday, November 24, 2013

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., the chief fundraiser for Democratic efforts to win control of the House, says his former Wall Street career is irrelevant when he asks fellow lawmakers to write a check for the party.

Wining and dining fat cats in Chicago and Hollywood?

"Nope, not for me. Do you really think Michael Ovitz wants to have dinner with me? No!" he said, referring to the famed entertainment mogul and Democratic contributor.

Is he working the phones, dialing for dollars from potential contributors? Nope, no dinner-time telephone interruptions from him.

Instead, Himes says his work as finance chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has focused on boosting "member dues" -- the annual tithe that other House Democrats are expected to contribute to the campaign committee that in turn sends money to Democratic incumbents and challengers, all in an effort to regain a majority in the House.

The 2010 election ended the Democrats' majority in the House after a four-year stint, symbolized by the replacement of Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., as speaker by Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio.

Himes -- a highly regarded lawmaker in his third term and a member of both the House Intelligence and Financial Services committees -- was named to the Democratic finance post earlier this year by Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., chair of the DCCC.

When he took over the job, Himes, 47, said he was impressed by the growth in online fundraising, which accounted for some $16 million of the $65 million the DCCC has raised this year as of Oct. 31.

"It's just exploding," he said.

On the other hand, he was dismayed to discover that "member dues" -- contributions from other House Democrats -- had sharply declined in recent years to the point where only 60 percent of his fellow lawmakers were participating.

He saw that sector as ripe for a turnaround.

The DCCC sets dues targets for each Democratic House member for each two-year election cycle based on their fundraising records, committee assignments, leadership posts, re-election prospects and primary election opposition. Party leaders customarily fork over the biggest checks -- in the $800,000 range. Other members pay less. Vulnerable incumbents get a pass.

The rewards for paying dues often include getting preferred committee assignments, which can affect a member's fundraising ability.

Himes attributed the drop in dues to the Democrats' loss of the majority in the 2010 election and the fact that there are fewer Democratic members overall.

His focus has paid off to the extent that 86 percent of House Democrats are now participating in the dues program.

"My background in finance plays no role," said Himes, a former vice president for Goldman Sachs. "When I go pester one of my colleagues, they don't give a damn where I worked before. If you watch me on the House floor, I have a six-foot buffer zone around me," he joked, referring to the tribulations of being the bill collector for the DCCC.

Himes' pitch to his fellow House Democrats: "We've got some tough races ahead of us and a real steep hill to climb in order to take back the majority."

The remarkable thing is that people just need to be asked, he said, adding: "Each and every member of the Democratic caucus all want to push hard to get back into the majority."

Himes said he has no role in dispersing DCCC money. "My job is to gather the resources to re-take the majority in the House. Steve Israel is in the charge of deciding where the money goes."

As of Oct. 31, the DCCC has raised $65.2 million in the 2013-14 election cycle, compared with $52.4 million for the NRCC. The Democratic group also led in the all-important category of cash on hand, reporting $25.3 million in the bank, compared with $18.2 million for the NRCC. About $10 million of the DCCC's total receipts represent dues from House Democrats, he said.

Israel, who appointed him to the finance post, praised Himes for his "outstanding job" and also cited him for helping bring "Democrats' commonsense message to the business community."

Walden blamed the lagging GOP fundraising on President Barack Obama's appearances at DCCC fundraisers and the DCCC's superior online work, a sector he said his organization is making dramatic improvements in this year.

And then there's the Dr. Seuss effect.

When Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, took to the Senate floor in late September for a 21-hour filibuster against Obamacare, he read Dr. Seuss' "Green Eggs and Ham" to help fill time.

Campaign contributions to Democrats surged; in the next six days, the DCCC raised $2 million from nearly 100,000 contributors, according to a committee aide, helping make the month the best off-year September for fundraising in the DCCC's history. In August, the DCCC raised $4.5 million, while the committee reported receipts jumped to $8.4 million in September.

Himes says DCCC donations spike following controversial statements by other Republicans, citing as an example the claim by Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, that for every child of illegal immigrants "who's a valedictorian, there's another 100 out there who weigh 130 pounds and they've got calves the size of cantaloupes because they're hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert."

"There's sort of a cornucopia of craziness and this translates into contributions," Himes said. "Not a week goes by that they don't say something."

On the other hand, Himes ruefully acknowledged that the "dispiriting rollout" of Obamacare will have an adverse effect on grassroots fundraising by the DCCC. That is likely to show up in the next monthly DCCC report to the Federal Election Commission, due Dec. 20.